


Teammates

by Rayofcolor



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Fluff, Team Awesome, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:55:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23290561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rayofcolor/pseuds/Rayofcolor
Summary: After the events of Flynnpostor, Eugene goes to check on Varian upon hearing about what happened with his invention, The Rooster, earlier that day.What he finds isn't exactly what he would of expected.
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Varian
Comments: 14
Kudos: 232





	Teammates

Eugene knocked on the door to one of the many guest bedrooms before entering. "Hey, kid, mind if I come in for a moment?" He asked, but was met with silence. Assuming he hadn't been heard, he knocked again. "Goggles? You in there?"

Still receiving no response, Eugene slowly twisted the door handle, opening up the door to peer inside and see if maybe- Just maybe Varian had gotten enthralled in another creation of his and just couldn't hear over his own bubbling excitement. Surely he could hear without a wall between them.

"I, uh, just wanted to…" Eugene sighed heavily, scratching behind his head as he gazed at the floor, not quite ready to make eye contact. "Okay, Catalina and Angry told me about that little situation with your invention, so I just wanted to see if-" 

Eugene looked up and froze in the doorway as his eyes finally took in the layout of the room before him. Unable to stop the edges of his mouth from upturning in a small smile, he walked passed the door and inside the room until Varian lie right in front of him.

Eugene tilted his head at the sight, Varian lying on his stomach with his face flat against the floor, Ruddiger curled up by his head on top of a sheet of paper. Schematics, it looked like. A soft snore echoed across the room, cementing a fact Eugene was already fairly certain of- Varian had fallen asleep while working.

"Couldn't at least climb in the bed before drifting off?" Eugene murmured. At this point, he was used to odd sleeping habits, so it wasn't all that strange to him.

In fact, in the time he'd known Catalina and Angry, he'd catch them fast asleep in the weirdest of places too. On countertops in the kitchen, flowerbeds in the garden- afterwards having to endure comments from Lance about them technically being right on the bed part- and worst of all, finding them on the roof of the castle. Varian's habits seemed mundane by comparison, but bothersome nonetheless.

Eugene rounded the teen until he was at his side rather than feet, hands on his hips. He'd considered waking him and asking him to move, but remembering the stories he heard from Catalina and Angry about how their day went he decided against it. He probably needed the rest, and if Eugene woke him he may not want to sleep again.

Decision finalized in his mind, Eugene knelt down and scooped Varian up in his arms, hoisting him into a suitable position with a hefty grunt.

"Whoa. A little heavier than you look, buddy!" He rasped out, more thankful than ever that the bed was so close as he hobbled over and sat the teen down in it flat on his back. His hands followed his eyes as he reached down to the bottom of the bed and pulled a blanket up over the alchemist from his feet to his shoulders. He was all prepared to be done after he'd tucked him in, but when he glanced over at the boy's face he choked on a laugh.

Varian's eyes were scorched black all the way around, and his hair even more noticeably disheveled than it had been from the back. If Eugene hadn't known any better, he'd almost say from the eyes alone that the teen looked like a less "I'll kill you in your sleep" version of Hector.

He rolled his eyes at the apparent fact that Varian couldn't at least clean himself up after the explosion. He must have done what Eugene can only guess is standard procedure for him; he picked himself back up and went straight to work on something new. Some new blueprints, he assumed.

Oh. That's right, the blueprints.

Eugene turned around a little too quickly, bumping his hand against the lower support of the bed and groaned in pain, causing Varian to murmur softly from the bed. Eugene froze in his pain fueled grumblings and shaking of his hand, covering his mouth in an instant and watching with bated breath to make sure he hadn't woken Varian. Lucky for Eugene, Varian just turned over, pulled the blanket closer and drifted off again.

Eugene sighed in relief, giving his hand one last shake to ease the pain and continuing his path over to where the blueprints sat beneath Varian's pet, eyes darting between his destination and the bed Varian lay at the whole time.

A poor plan on his part, as all it took was one second glancing away from the blueprints for his foot to accidentally make contact with Ruddiger's tail, sending the raccoon shooting up with loud, pained chattering escaping his throat at rapid fire.

"Oh no no, shhh! Quiet, quiet!" Eugene frantically waved his hands about and shushed the raccoon, who paid his shushing no mind and began shaking his fist in the man's face, chattering some very angry chatters that Eugene assumed weren't entirely child friendly by raccoon standards. Grumbling a low growl, Eugene grabbed the raccoon- who squirmed uncomfortably in his grasp- pulled him close and clasped a hand over his mouth, gesturing to the bed with his head. "Be. Quiet."

Ruddiger's muffled chattering still traveled through the air despite Eugene's attempts to silence him, and the raccoon had half a mind to sink his teeth into Eugene's skin, which he might have if it hadn't been for the sight of his best friend lying fast asleep on the bed. He calmed down slowly, now understanding just why it was necessary.

"Finally," Eugene grumbled, releasing his hand from around Ruddiger's mouth but still holding him tight in his grasp. "I'm going to let you go, but you're gonna have to be-" The newly appointed Captain froze as he heard a small noise coming from the bed. Ruddiger's ears shot up in interest at the sound of a voice.

"Rudd'ger?" The voice slurred, and Eugene turned to see Varian's hand aimlessly patting about the bed beside himself, so out of it he didn't bother looking where he was going. "Wha's the matter, bud?"

Eugene shushed the raccoon one last time and crept up to the bed, setting the raccoon down at Varian's side; careful to avoid Varian's touch himself but landing the raccoon right where Varian reached next. Satisfied with feeling the raccoon's presence underneath his hand, Varian shifted in bed and came face to face with Ruddiger, wrapping his arm around him and snuggling up close as if the raccoon were a stuffed toy.

Relieved, Eugene closed his eyes and released a breath he didn't fully acknowledge he was holding in. Upon opening his eyes again after doing so, he chuckled at the sight before him. Maybe he'd been a little wrong about Varian's eyes before. Seeing him beside Ruddiger, it occured to Eugene that he looked less like Hector and more like a raccoon.

As the last of his chuckles died down, Eugene moved to grab the blueprints off the floor and place them somewhere safe, but catches a glimpse of the schematics before hand and finds himself drawn in by all the notes and sketching. The notes seemed frantic and full of warnings, contrasting greatly with the polished concept sketch of the invention's design. As impressive as that design was, Eugene found himself thinking the writing a little more enrapturing.

Besides notes pointing to what did what, there were detailed directions on what to do and not to do, the most eye-catching being a sentence with a word Eugene had heard so much today, he'd almost grown sick of it.

"Flynnoleum," or more specifically "Flynn" caused him to grimace at the mere thought of the day he'd just had. He buried the thought deep in his mind and read on, scrunching his nose at the full sentence.

"'Tank the Flynnoleum goes into danger use caution'? Yeesh, not one for taking clear notes, are you, kid?" He tilted the paper a few different ways and stared closer, attempting to make an intelligent sentence out of it, but gave up in the end. "Well, as confusing as it is, you at least seem to be trying to be safer. That's something. Not that it stopped the explosion…"

Remembering he was just whispering to an empty room, aside from Varian who was fast asleep and Ruddiger who stared at him with irritated, watchful eyes, Eugene distracted himself with the blueprints again. He Inched his way to the bookcase as he read, rolling the paper into a scroll when he neared the end of the notes; freezing only when he got sight of a scribble at the very bottom corner of the paper.

"Hey now, what's this?" He murmured, speaking to no one in particular as he studied a doodle at the bottom of the paper.

Well, Eugene wouldn't call it a doodle, honestly. It wasn't exactly to the level of Varian's usual sketches, being a little loose and rough, but it was still good enough to be readable and definitely enough to put Eugene's artistic skills to shame.

But if he was being honest, the actual drawing captured his attention more than the quality. From what looked like pretty dried ink on the paper- meaning it had been made some time ago, probably before coming to the castle- Eugene could see a sketch of Varian, himself and Rapunzel. And they all had tools, goggles and various types of safety gear on.

Eugene felt a twinge of guilt rise in his gut as he noticed the note written beside it, scribbled over to the point that he almost missed it, but just visible enough that with a little extra focus he could pick out certain letters and piece the sentence together. Clearing his throat, he read the note aloud, to himself.

"I've never really had a(proper) assistant with my projects before, so having two would be amazing…" Eugene's voice trailed off at the end, soft, broken and enlightened. He frowned deeply at the message and what its meaning held.

Varian hadn't just wanted to show them the Rooster. He'd wanted to assemble it with Eugene and Rapunzel's help. 

No wonder he'd been so insistent on the Captain of the guards being present, or from Catalina and Angry's description, seemed extra short with everybody. It only stung more as he recalled the story the girls told upon him and Rapunzel's return about how they helped cause things to go out of whack, and that Varian's project had failed- Something that likely could have been prevented, if Varian had the help he wanted.

Eugene notices from here that his desire to go after his Flynnpostor may have been more selfish than he realized. Not only had he abandoned his responsibilities as Captain, making the job he was supposed to handle turn to ruin, but he'd also let down somebody who he was accepting as a friend more and more by each passing day.

That was a mistake he would make up for, he wasn't just going to leave it this way. Varian was supposed to head home in the morning, which left little time to plan anything now, but he would find a way to make up for this somehow. Tucking the schematics beneath his arm Eugene left the room, quietly creaking the door shut behind him and heading down the hallway to Rapunzel's room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Days had passed since the construction and failure of the Rooster. Varian had long since headed home and hadn't returned to the castle since, if for nothing else than to help his dad around their farm.

It was this absence of his in the kingdom as well as a quest that sent Eugene riding to Old Corona on his own one sunny morning. His travel was quick through town as he greeted the unusually chatty villagers passing by. Everybody was just a little more quick to speak when you gained a role of authority, it seemed.

Eugene casts smiles and waves as he strolls through on top of Fidella's back. Typically, he'd bring Max along, but after last week he decided leaving Max as stand-in captain while he was gone might be a better option than Lance for the time being.

After strolling by house after house, Eugene finally made it to the largest one constructed at the back of town and dismounted Fidella. Approaching the door to Varian's house, he gave it a few knocks and waited a few moments.

No response. Huffing, Eugene knocked again. And he waited, and waited.

Several moments had passed and nobody came to open the door.

"Captain?" Eugene startled as he heard a rather deep, kindly voice croak out beside him. He turned his head just slightly to the left and caught sight of Quirin, Varian's father, hauling a large load of vegetation in his wheel barrel. Quirin raised a brow at him. "Something we can help you with? Is everything alright?"

Eugene sighed deeply before a smile slid across his face while he approached Quirin, Fidella trailing right behind him. "Everything's fine in the kingdom. Great, in fact. I came here on royal business, actually," He explained.

"I see…" Quirin murmured before picking up a carrot from his cart and offering it to Fidella, who took it gratefully. "This is about my son?"

"Uh… Yes, actually. I had a small favor to ask of him."

Quirin raised a brow. "Small? I thought you said it was royal business?"

At this Eugene caught himself groaning internally. "Okay, not 100% royal business. More of a… A worried friend consulting another for help. It’s kind of a sensitive subject."

Quirin stares curiously, nerves stirring in the pit of his stomach at the vagueness of it all. There isn’t a doubt in his mind that this is all concerning Cassandra, the current biggest threat to the kingdom, but he doesn't speak of it. Instead, he offers what little bit of support he can in the form of a hand on Eugene's shoulder, capturing the man’s attention. 

“Varian’s up by the apple trees gathering the harvest, you should be able to find him on the outskirts of the field.” Quirin directs Eugene with a point of his hand, before lowering his eyes back down to look at him. He exhaled deeply. “Be careful. Please.”

Eugene nodded slowly, understanding the merit of the request thanks to the look of concern Quirin’s eyes displayed.

“We will be.” Eugene assured, grabbing Fidella by the reins and guiding her off to the field Varian worked in. It took a bit of searching, ducking by apple tree after apple tree until finally, Eugene heard the sound of rustling leaves nearby, but he didn’t realize just how close until leaves fell atop his and Fidella’s heads, the horse snorting when one landed on her snout and glaring in frustration as more descended towards her.

Eugene found himself amused by this as he peeked over to the other side of the tree, capturing sight of a ladder and following it all the way up the tall tree until he caught sight of two boots and the bottom half of an apron, the upper half of the body they belong to being covered by the tree’s foliage.

“There you are!” He called out loudly to ensure he could be heard from all the way up the tall tree. It was about 5 times his size, after all.

Varian jumped upon hearing the exclamation, recognizing the voice immediately. He popped his head down out of the tree, bending down on the ladder. “Eu-Eugene! OH, hi! I uhm, hello! Welcome.” Varian stammered awkwardly, adjusting the position of his hands at least a dozen times before settling on just resting them across the ladder. He chuckles nervously. “What are you doing in Old Corona?”

“Well, I wanted to talk to you actually. See, as Captain of the guard, I need to- Um, can we maybe talk about this on solid ground?” Eugene questioned, getting frustrated having to dodge around the leaves constantly blowing in Varian’s face so he could maintain eye contact, not to mention how loudly he had to speak just to be heard.

“Oh, right, of course.” Varian stood up straight to make his descent, only to be met by a mouthful of leaves thanks to a particularly strong breeze. Sputtering and retching, he pushed the branch from his face and found himself glaring when he thought he heard the sound of snickering, directing his stare at Eugene and Fidella who had now gathered around the base of the ladder and seemed to be feigning innocence. Rolling his eyes, Varian made quick work to slide down the ladder until he reached the bottom where he slid a bit upon entry. 

Thankfully, Fidella was quick on her feet and offered her snout for him to steady himself on. He landed with both arms atop her head and flashed a grateful smile back at her before standing on his own two feet and gazing at Eugene from the opposite side of the ladder.

“Now what’s this about being Captain?” Varian asked, placing his hands on his hips.

"Right. As I was saying, I'm Captain now and as so, I have to take… Precautions to keep our people safe," Eugene pointed at Varian. "You're really good at taking the mandatory precautions. I can tell that. So I was hoping to offer you a job as my partner."

Varian was stunned. A job? That big of a job? What was Eugene thinking?!

"I- Ooohh, wow, I am really flattered, Eugene." Varian breathed in deeply with a nervous chuckle before his smile fell into a frown. "But I really don't think I deserve a duty that special and I've never been a lawman before- I'm sort of the opposite in a way, really- and I guess what I'm trying to say is… No, I'm not ready to be a guard. Sorry."

Eugene raised his eyebrows, stunned, before he slowly slid into a fit of laughter.

"I'm not asking you to become a guard!"

Varian looked perplexed. "Well then what are you asking?"

Eugene unrolled a scroll he had pulled from the bag on Fidella's saddle. He cleared his throat before reading.

"Sir Varian "Goggles" Ruddiger of Old Corona-"

"Ruddiger isn't my last name-"

"I am here to cordially request you to assist the Kingdom in the making of a specialized defense mechanism for the purpose of protecting the kingdom from their most lethal threats. A request that I really, sincerely hope you'll accept, and know you can handle." Eugene said, rolling the scroll up and placing it back in Fidella's satchel. "Yeah, I'm not very good at writing official letters yet. Max helped with most of the more proper sounding parts."

“Oh wow, really? I-I mean I’d love to help, of course, but really? Me?” 

"You are sir goggles of Old Corona, aren't you?"

"I guess I am." Varian chuckled. "You're right about your writing though. As Captain, you should work on your formal requests. Maybe that can be a part of what I help you with, upon accepting my role as the kingdom's helper in protecting Corona."

Eugene smiled from ear to ear. "You'll do it?"

"Happily." Varian returned the smile.

"Great. It's settled then, you can start as soon as possible and I'll come back to check in every once in a while." Eugene started to walk off but did a quick turn and smacked his head as if jogging his memory. "Oh! Of course, what am I thinking? If you're making something of military grade, then I suppose you have to have the captain present. Huh?" Eugene cast Varian a knowing smirk. "Looks like you've got yourself an assistant."

Varian stares in surprise before cracking a smile and revealing the buck teeth at the forefront of his mouth. "Well, I suppose that is what the law book says. But I think I'd prefer a partner, or maybe a teammate?"

Eugene raised a brow and folded his arms. "Are specifics really necessary here, kid?" 

"A little bit," Varian picks up a basket full of apples and settles it against his hip, extending his hand to Eugene. "It's kind of my addition to it all. So what do you think? Team again?"

Eugene gazed at his hand a moment before reaching out and shaking it. "You've got it. Team."

"-Awesome." Varian added, grinning. Eugene mirrored his expression.

"Yeah. 'Team Awesome' it is." Eugene said. He held his hand up for a high five after they parted hands the first time.

Varian barely noticed, feeling his heart swell with a familiar warmness. It was nice to feel a connection forming between them again, especially after thinking all the ties he'd thought they had would have been shattered between them long ago. A part of him had almost wondered if they'd ever be the same again, but this alone told him that it was more possible than ever.

Without thinking, Varian closed in on Eugene with his arms spread wide, pausing when he saw Eugene's facial features tense and his body slide back a smidge. He lowered his arms.

"I'm sorry. Too soon?" His eyes met the floor.

"No, that's not it," Eugene said. "You've got a spider on your shirt."

"Oh," Varian glanced at the arachnid, nudged it onto his hand and then set it down on the ground. "Silly things love the apples- Probably got confused when it saw the red on my vest."

"Do they see colors like us?" Eugene asked.

"Probably?" Varian replied. "Anyways, shall we get started? I just-"

"I know," Eugene wrapped an arm around Varian and hugged him against his side. "And the answer is yes, you can have a hug, kid."

"Well I was gonna say I have to finish my chores, but I'll accept the hug, too." Varian said.

"Oh- Of course you would," Eugene chuckled, giving Varian a little push away from him before pulling him back again. "I'll give you a hand so we can get to work faster. Just tell me what I've got to do, huh?"

"Sounds like a plan." Varian replied. 

After this, Eugene gave Varian his help as promised, such as steadying the ladder as Varian climbed up so as to avoid anymore mishaps like when he climbed down last. Then once all the apples are gathered and they shared a little snack at Quirin’s offer, they set off to plan out a new strategy to protect the people of Corona.

A strategy that’s soon to be titled “Project Obsidian.”

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic took me like a month to finish writing, haha, I've rewritten it so many times.
> 
> It's actually the first thing I have written in a good while, so I'm pretty excited for having actually finished something I've started writing ^^' Hopefully it can be the first of many for this show!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed, be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you thought<3


End file.
